{"id":874,"date":"2025-09-27T21:12:06","date_gmt":"2025-09-28T00:12:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/poble.cl\/thoughts\/?p=874"},"modified":"2025-09-28T01:33:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T04:33:22","slug":"reflecting-september-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/poble.cl\/thoughts\/reflecting-september-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflecting – September 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s that <\/em>time of the year again. Spring is now in full swing, and I can certainly tell because so are my allergies. Despite that, I always see this new season as the time things start to look up for me, or at least that’s how it’s been for the past few years… except for last year<\/a>, then again, 2024 as a whole felt like a never-ending mess. Considering these past few months have been rather turbulent, I was hoping I could get a moment of relative peace. And so, how did September fare this year? That’s what this post is gonna be all about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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General happenings<\/h3>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I’ll admit, I actually don’t remember what all happened this month besides the usual. But I did my usual activities, so y’know, going out, playing games and all that jazz. Being that we’re right on that transitional period between seasons, the weather has been nothing short of wacky, it constantly fluctuates between hot and cold every week pretty much. But that’s just how spring usually begins anyway, that and the aforementioned allergies… fun. This year I came prepared though, I bought some tissues and allergy pills. At least with those things it hasn’t been as painful, thank goodness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, I went out with my friend once again, as we do every month pretty much. This time we had lunch at a Korean place, as is our tradition of eating Asian food. We then went to a Japanese shop and bought some assorted sweets, in my case I bought some butter cookies and a bag of “matcha” candies that didn’t really taste like matcha. We then went to a nearby park and talked about life, and to end things off, we went to the mall next door and looked around, cause why not. It was a nice day, overall. We’re planning to go out during October, too. And on a not-so-good note, it seems like I can no longer send mail to the US, and I’m assuming the tariff bullshit is to blame… ah well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

September also happens to be when our national holidays take place, this year I ended up getting two days off in addition to the weekends, so four days of constant eating and resting. We had a family meeting on the 18th, which had so much damn food, I was absolutely stuffed by the end of the day. I’m not super keen on those meetings for the most part, so I just isolate myself and sit somewhere far away from others. But it went well, overall. The rest of the mini vacation I had went okay too, I didn’t really do much beyond playing games and trying to distract myself, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, it didn’t go badly at all, even though nothing really memorable happened. This month did feel unusally long, but I’d rather have that over a short but unpleasent month. Mentally I’ve been doing alright, though I do have my down moments every once in a while. My health seems much the same as last month, and I can’t tell if the pills I was given do much of anything. I’ll try to book a doctor’s appointment next month see what they say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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That work meeting I mentioned…<\/h3>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Alright, let’s talk about that thing I wanted to touch on. So, on the 10th, I went to a work meeting, we do these once a year or so, and we get to see each other and do some extracurricular activities. Originally, the plan was for us to go to a place that was close to my part of the city, but the plans changed on the last minute and we did it on the opposite side of the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, on that fateful day, I got up at around 7:30am, which is way earlier than my usual. But as the trip there lasts around two hours, and I had to be there by 10am, I had to do it. At first I couldn’t find my backpack, but after some searching, I was fortunately able to find it, and I needed it as I had to bring my laptop with me, as well as other assorted things. I ate breakfast and took the bus to the subway, which took a while to get there since it was rush hour, which of course means slow traffic. And once I got there, I took the subway to a station I had never been to before. I arrived there at 9:30am, and the bus I had to take just so happened to be there, so I ran, paid my fare and arrived at the mall at around 9:55am. The mall was just about to open, many stores were still closed, but the co-work thing I needed to go to was already open. I waited for the elevator and I went to the 8th floor.<\/p>\n\n\n

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…yes, it was empty when I arrived.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

And so, I made it. I did have to ask around where the office was, and I was told it was one that was completely empty… yes, I was the first one to arrive, somehow. I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t make it on time since my boss said we had to arrive at least 10 minutes before 10am. The rest began arriving slowly around 10 minutes later, and the last ones to arrive actually drove all the way from the coast, and apparently got lost on the way there, so they arrived at 11am or so. The first part of the meeting is basically introducing ourselves, having some coffee and snacks and talking about various work projects. It’s pretty standard stuff, as far as work is concerned. We were given a company backpack and cap at the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later came lunch time, so we went around looking for a good restaurant to eat at. We struggled a bit though, since the one we originally wanted to go to was under renovation. And the other one we had our sights on, well, a guy was just leaving the place and he was saying it was shit. We ended up just going to the one next door, as it had vegetarian options that some of my teammates needed. I originally wanted a specific type of cheese sandwich, which they only served past a certain hour… stupid. Ah well, the burger I got wasn’t bad, but it needed some more salt. The pineapple juice was pretty good though. I don’t really do very well in groups, so I just listened to the others talk about whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then we left, and we had to go to this paintball thing that was right outside the city. Before then though, I wanted to go to the bathroom… only to realize all <\/em>of them were out of service, so that was lovely. That meant I had to hold it in until I got to the place we were headed to. We split apart in two groups, my boss took some of us with him, while the rest went with someone else. The trip there was weird, as we missed an exit and we had to reverse until the exit. There was also a pretty decent amount of traffic on the way there, so we took our time. Once we got there, I immediately asked if there was a bathroom, and I quickly ran there. Then we were explained how to play and properly handle our guns, as well as our equipment, which included a helmet and a camo uniform. My aim was terrible and I got hit several times, but it was fun. The guy in charge was nice and passionate about the sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our last stop before heading home was a bar where we could eat something after the paintball session. I ended up asking for a sandwich similar to what I wanted for lunch, and some mango juice. Both were great, no complaints… except for the fact that the chili sauce and the ketchup had reversed color from what I’m used to. Normally ketchup is red and chili sauce is green, but they were the other way around this time. We didn’t know what they were at first, so I squirted some from the red container, and it had a weird consistency. I tried it and yep, it was spicy. I don’t mind spicy things for the most part, but not like this. We left and said our final goodbyes, and I ended up leaving with two of the girls who took the subway. I ended up talking to the last of the teammates who joined the team, and she asked me about what I do for work and all that, she seemed nice. I eventually made it back home at around 10pm and immediately went to rest after going to the bathroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, the meeting went pretty well. It was fun and while I’m still not super social, but compared to last month’s Red Velvet nonsense, this one was way better. Assuming I still work at the company next year, I’m totally considering going again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Reflecting on making friends<\/h3>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

After that meeting, I couldn’t help but start thinking about my whole friend making thing I’ve brought up a few times this year. Things haven’t exactly gone to plan, sadly. I was optimistic about the whole idea of moving away from just meeting people online in favor of meeting more folks in person. Usually when I make these decisions, I go all out with it on the start, only to start reconsidering later on. This seems like one of those cases for me, because now I’m not sure if I really wanna commit to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year I’ve had some attempts at breaking out of my bubble after so many years of not giving this all a shot. I first figured I’d try with someone I see all the time at a place I frequent. There was this cashier girl that I was sorta interested in, she was older than me (well, by 6 years… she was 31) but she seemed nice, she always asked me how I was doing. I only really went at it slowly and asked her questions here and there, but I was really afraid to make any moves beyond that, as in, asking her if she wanted to be friends. Last time I saw her was at the end of July, and she practically disappeared, so I guess I’ll never know if she had any interest in me besides being a regular. As an aside, I saw a video of a girl who looked similar on Instagram, and one of the comments said “this is that one cashier you see once and then never again” and I just laughed. Ah well, I’d say it was good practice, either way. I do wonder after her whereabouts, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(On another tangent, I went to the mall today. And at the supermarket, and I saw someone there who sure looked a lot like her. She also had red hair, blue eyes and she even wore glasses too, but she didn’t sound the same and she also had no freckles on her face. I freaked out over literally nothing, fucking hell. Gingers man… you may say I’m traumatized, but I swear I’m not. That said, if you’re a redhead, just know that I don’t trust you one bit.<\/s>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then the meetings, of course. As I’ve mentioned, the Red Velvet one was just a waste of time and not worth expanding upon. And the work one, well, honestly I liked that it also made me step out of my comfort zone when it comes to socializing. I didn’t go with the intent to make friends anyway, but I was hoping I’d at least get to talk to someone there, which I did. I see all of these events as ways to practice my social cues, as I still feel like I have a long way to go before I feel truly comfortable socializing beyond these occassions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That begs the question, while I do want to make friends, do I even need <\/em>to? It’s a bit of a complicated matter, I’ll admit. When I try doing something like this, it can be interpreted as my friends not fulfilling something I want in a relationship. But that’s not the case, my current friends are great and I do truly love them, I’ve always been a strong believer that friends aren’t meant to be replaced. And I also always say that quality matters more than quantity when it comes to friends. So… I don’t know. I certainly wouldn’t mind making another connection as an adult, but if I focus too much onto it to the point of desperation, I might end up hurting myself in the process. Much like how some guys grow desperate when they can’t find a partner, I really hope I don’t get to that point… that’d be embarrassing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This month’s pickups<\/h3>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

You thought I was gonna go this month without buying even more pointless shit? Fuck no, of course not. Firstly, as always, the toy cars. The red Beetle in particular is identical to one I had as a kid, so that’s cool.<\/p>\n\n\n

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’19 Fiat 500 Turbo, ’96 Dodge Viper GTS, Car-de-Asada, Buns of Steel, two Volkswagen Beetles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

An entire selection of phones of all kinds. Mostly Nokias, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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May as well tell you a little about each one:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Samsung Galaxy Tab (2010):<\/strong> The very first Galaxy Tab from Samsung, intended to compete with the iPad. It’s not in the best shape sadly, and I had seen one the previous month in much better shape that I wish I’d bought. It seemed dead at first, but after half an hour of charging, it came back to life and it seems to work fine. I also didn’t realize it had a digital TV tuner built in, apparently it’s exclusive to this Latin American variant. Made in South Korea.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Nokia Lumia 520 (2013):<\/strong> I already had one, but this one is in much better shape and it’s white instead of black. Only problem had was that it showed a blue screen when trying to boot up, which was easily solved by reflashing the phone. This phone is notable for being the best selling Windows Phone ever. Made in China.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Sony Xperia U (2012): <\/strong>I remember considering this one as my first Android smartphone, but decided against it after finding out you can’t expand the storage. This one was pattern locked, which was very easy to get around. The battery is pretty wonky, but that seems to be the only issue it has. Made in Brazil, curiously enough.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Nokia 3205n (2004):<\/strong> A lower end phone from the mid-2000s, which features interchangeable face plates. This one has seen better days for sure though, and the battery is completely shot, it only lasts a few minutes. It’s even got a camera and a flashlight, fancy. Made in South Korea.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Nokia 1100 (2003):<\/strong> Literally the best selling mobile phone of all time<\/a>. The 1100 was one of Nokia’s cheaper offerings for the time, and it was popular in developing countries and lower cost phone carriers. It’s very similar in features to earlier Nokia models like say, the 3310. Except this one has a flashlight, ooh. This one is not in the best shape, and it needed a new battery, but it does work. Made in Mexico.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Nokia 3390 (2000):<\/strong> I’m sure you’ve seen countless memes featuring this phone, talking about just how durable it is. The 3390 in particular was a variant of the 3310 sold in countries that used the 1900MHz GSM band, like the US and Chile. This one had a broken screen, which was super easy to replace. The battery still charges, surprisingly, and it seems like it had been used until 2012 or so. Also made in Mexico.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Some assorted collectibles. A Kirby figure, a Jazwares Classic Sonic plushie (with very floppy arms and legs) and a miniature Fanta bottle, seemingly from the 80s.<\/p>\n\n\n

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    And the big one, which I actually got at the end of August: a PlayStation Vita, the original PCH-1000 model with the OLED screen. This console was a massive failure for Sony, but it’s one that’s kept alive thanks to its active and dedicated homebrew community. It’s a console I was never that interested in, but so far I’ve really enjoyed using it. Overall it’s in okay shape, with some scratches and scuffs here and there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Oddity of the month: AI-generated… protein bar?<\/h3>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    “Cookies and dreams”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/a>
    “A protein bar produced and designed with AI”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    This month I’m also introducing a new segment where I show off something weird I found during the month. This time, it’s a protein bar that claims to be made with AI… yes, it seems the slop has reached food, great. Look at the packaging, doesn’t that look kinda AI-generated as well? The small details give it away. This seemed so goddamn stupid that I couldn’t help but feel intrigued, so I bought it. And what do you get when you open it?<\/p>\n\n\n

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    If by “AI” they mean souless and misleading, then they sure got that right<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    Well, isn’t that underwhelming, that’s nothing like what the packaging shows. It just looks like cookie dough turned into a bar… not very appetizing, if you ask me. It doesn’t taste bad at all though, but being that it’s a protein based product, it does have that weird bitter aftertaste that other similar products have. Still, just the fact that they claim nonsense about how it was AI-generated is just so ridiculous to me. And how’d that even work, anyway? Did they just ask ChatGPT for a recipe or what? AI is known to make up bullshit on the spot, sometimes getting things wrong to the point of being potentially dangerous. Ah well, rant over, I just thought this protein bar being AI generated was odd. Really, really odd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Wrapping things up once again<\/h3>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Overall, September this year went… fine? Way better than I expected, for sure. Despite the spring having its fair share of bullshit, I’d say things were okay for the most part. Now, I also do realize it’s a bit foolish to expect the rest of the year to go the same way, I know for a fact that won’t be the case. But I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what comes next. I don’t have many plans for October, so I just hope I survive whatever nonsense it decides to throw my way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As always, feel free to follow me on Tumblr at @pobles-diary<\/a> if you want to see cat pictures and quicker-ish updates. Gosh, this post got really long, didn’t it? I also decided to take a bit of a break from online posting, so hopefully by October I’ll post more often. Maybe, I won’t promise anything though. I also apologize for the relative lack of pictures on this post, it seems like I’m starting to lose the habit of photographing things that aren’t cats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Either way… see you all in the next post.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Do you remember… the 21st night of September?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-just-thoughts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/poble.cl\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/poble.cl\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/poble.cl\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poble.cl\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poble.cl\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=874"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/poble.cl\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/874\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":909,"href":"https:\/\/poble.cl\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/874\/revisions\/909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/poble.cl\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poble.cl\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poble.cl\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}